The Japan International Corporation Agency-JICA in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture have embarked on a rice cultivation dissemination project to increase its production through enhancing rice research capacity and the agriculture extension system that supports the crop.
JICA Assistant Resident Representative Matsui Yoji told the Zambia Business Times – ZBT in an interview that the project is aimed enhancing productivity and livelihoods of small scale farmers in rural areas to enhance access to high quality seeds and varieties, introduction and development of sustainable crop management practices, and strengthen new technology adoption
Yoji said the Agency is building in rice research and extension through training and conducting dissemination of information on rice as it is considered a promising crop that is traditionally consumed and has a high demand that exceeds the local supply.
He added that the extension system for rice cultivation is established in target areas which include Northern, Luapula, Muchinga, Western, Eastern, Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces.
And Zambia Agriculture Research Institute – ZARI says JICA’s initiative to train farmers in the production of rice and promote appropriate rice cultivation practices is a welcome move to the Zambia’s Agricultural sector.
ZARI Executive Director Moses Mwape told ZBT in a separate interview that the project is also set to introduce the growth of rice in areas where maize is a traditional crop to enable farmers growth rice in different areas adding that the exercise will result in increment in rice productivity and promote the market for farmers.
“As ZARI we will ensure that framers are trained on methods of general crop management which will look at how to plant and take care of the crop so that we can increase on the productivity and production of rice in Zambia,” he said
